Wonder Woman’s Crown Was 3D Printed! (and Other Met Gala Crown Tales)

Headwear designers are saying major prayers of thanks after seeing all the incredible headpieces that lit up the Met Gala’s Red Carpet Monday evening. While most were theatrical, over-the-top (ahem, Pope Riri) and meant to be the next morning’s headlines, others were tasteful and instantly inspirational to headwear designers and the consumers who buy their items. Some had fun stories behind them.

First, was the one about Rihanna, who didn’t have a headwear designer create a themed headpiece or crown for her, but actually borrowed a bejeweled mitre from the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan. The miter has been worn on formal liturgical occasions by bishops and cardinals…and now one of the most famous pop stars in the world.

Lynda Carter. Rex/Shutterstock

Notable was the crown worn by Lynda Carter (aka Wonder Woman), which not only had Hebrew writing and a Star of David on the back, but the crown itself was 3D printed! “Usually I would have a few months to work on a request like this,” said Ellen Christine, the headwear designer who created the piece. “But I only had two and a half weeks! I knew I didn’t have time to cast, do a wax mold and metalwork, so I went to NYU’s 3D Printing lab and printed this out! Then I applied all the gold leaf by hand.”

Carter and her team had sent Christine the concept for the crown, which came from a Hebrew site. “It was more of a costume piece; a high priest in a temple from the distant past. I interpreted it into a goddess approach for a female, rather than a male. I changed the shape and went over the text, then checked with a rabbi to get the Hebrew words and letters right.”

The crown featured the Hebrew phrase “l’olam al tishkachi” (which translates to never forget).

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. REX/Shutterstock

Rosie Hungton-Whiteley, who looks like an angel on any given day, looked literally angelic with gold halo atop an ethereal dress. The open-air headpiece was in stark contrast to some of the more ornate looks and won in our books for its simplicity and elegance.

Black Lively. REX/Shutterstock

While many crowns were encrusted with crystals, some were the real deal (Blake Lively’s crown, above, reportedly featured over 100 nude champagne diamonds). No matter, all these headpieces are spurring on a major trend to come. “The hair accessories category is having a huge resurgence and we are working on creating styles to fit the Met Gala trend,” says Jay Lakhani, co-owner of accessories company Deepa Gurnani. “Our clients are expecting statement pieces from us and my team is developing more ornate pieces for Fall 2018. Rich jewel tones, high-polished gold tones and over-the-top looks are all on the horizon.”

Sarah Jessica Parker. Rex/Shutterstock

Sarah Jessica Parker wore an entire nativity scene on her head, in case you were wondering (remember when Carrie Bradshaw wore a bird on her head at her wedding on “Sex and the City” and her friends joked they were wondering what they was?). Well we were definitely wondering here too!

Anne Hathaway looked stunning in red (another Met Gala color that captured the theme), but it was her spiked halo crown that truly stole the show. Instead of metal, however, the crown was made of quills and created by her hair stylist Adir Abergel.

Madonna returned to her Catholic roots (despite being a staunch Kabbalist), and wore a headpiece covered in fashion statement-making crosses. No surprise there. Madonna’s crown was reportedly created by Indonesian designer Rinaldy Yunardi.

Rapper Cardi B got mostly props for her pearly white look, but of course there were those on Twitter who objected. “Can’t be here for Cardi….only cuz Bey did it 1st,” wrote one fan, referencing Beyonce’s golden pregnant look with matching head crown. Another wrote: “Cardi Looks Good. But I Feel Like It’s Too Similar To Bey’s Performance Look. And I Like Bey’s Better.” Meow!

Solange actually placed her halo atop of a du-rag, a look that she crowd-sourced among her fans on social media. It’s not surprising; these events can cause the stars so much anxiety and fear of live take-downs that it’s smart to ask first, accessorize later.